Method and apparatus for spooling artificial silk



Nov. 6, 1934. A L. o -rz 1,979,898

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPOOLING ARTIFICIAL SILK Filed Nov. 28, 1952 Mom W13 Patented Nov. 6, 1934 ,Nr OFFICE METHOD ANnArPAnA'rUs FOR SPOOLING ARTIFICIAL SILK Adrian J. L. Moritz, Bu-ncombe County, N. 0., as-

signor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, .N. (3., acorporation of Delaware Application November 28, 1932, Serial No. 644,751

4 Claims.

- This invention relates "to the art of manufacturing artificial silk and has special reference to a method of and means formaintaining even tension onthe strand as it passes from the spinnerette to the spool on which it is wound, the device thus being an even tension device for artificial :silk.

In-thecmanufacture of artificialsilk the material is extruded from a spinnerette into a setto ting for hardening bath and from there passes to a :revolving spool on which it is wound; a guide is used through which thesilk passes and, to- :insure even winding on the spool, this guide is reciprocated or oscillatedbetween positions opposite the :ends of the spool or the spool is reciprocated or oscillated axially for the same purpose, the guide in the last case-remaining stationary. In the present case, thereciprocation israpid to produce a somewhat open winding.

2!) Under these conditions the-convolutions wound on the spool between its ends lie in angular relation tothe spool axis but, at each end, at least part of a convolution lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis. Consequently, .at each end of the spool the lengthof the strand which may form about one turn around the spool is less than at intermediate points in the winding, and the winding speed is less because at each end'the length of strand wound on the spool by one 130, revolution only-equals the circumference around the material already on the spool, while the spiral convolutions between the ends are each greater than such circumference. This causes a decrease in tension at the spool ends in the present method. Again, many of the full spools now wound have the winding so distributed that one or both ends are conical, and such conically wound end portions also contribute to the difference in the lineal extent of strand or filament wound on the 1& spool at the ends and the middle.

The results of these variations in winding velocity, coupled with the fact that the spinnerette extrudes the spinning solution at a constant speed, is the production of short denier variations in the yarn, which, especially in knit fabrics, cause so called stitch barre, and give the fabric an uneven appearance.

In order to overcome this defect thusproduced 350 by the methods and machines now commonly used, it is an important object of the invention to provide a method for the winding of artificial silk filaments on a spool wherein the length of filament between the spinnerette and T spool, herein termed the free length, will vary in inverse ratio to the lineal speed at which the and combinations of details hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of those parts of a machine for producing artificial silk which have a direct bearing on the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section on the line A-A of Figure 1 and showing the action of the thread guide at the beginning of the wind of the filament onto a cylinder. I

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the action of the thread guide after the winding has been substantially completed.

The apparatus here shown is one wherein the thread guide is oscillated longitudinally of a spool rotating in a fixed position, but it will be readily understood from what follows that the thread guide may be reciprocated to and fro with respect to the spool, or that the thread guide may be stationary and the spool moved to and fro lengthwise.

In the present showing there is provided a spool shaft or spindle 10 whereon is removably mounted a spool 11, the spool being held to the shaft in any preferred manner, as by frictional engagement. A spinnerette 12 is diagrammatically illustrated in a tank 13 for receiving the setting or hardening bath. A guide 14 of any preferred form is interposed between the spinnerette and spool in such manner that the filament 15 runs from the spinnerette through this guide and then, in a direction at an acute angle to the portion between the spinnerette and guide, to the spool. Aligned bearings 16 support a shaft 17 and the guide 14 is carried on the end of a rock arm 18 fixed on this shaft. As here shown, this rock shaft 17 is oscillated by suitable means such as a cam 19 connected by a link 20 with a rock arm 21 fixed on the shaft 17, the cam being mounted on a. shaft 22. The rock arm 21 is preferably splined on the shaft 17 so that the latter may slide through the rock arm without such rock arm moving lengthwise of the shaft. Fixed on a cam shaft 23 is a cam 24 which engages one end of the shaft 17. The other end of said shaft is provided with a thrust plate 25. At 26 is a bearing wherein is mounted'a short shaft 2'7 alined with the shaft 17 and provided at the end adjacent said shaft with a thrust plate 28. Between the two thrust plates is suitable antifriction means such as the balls 29, and between the plate 28 and bearing 26 is a spring 30 which operates to hold the shaft 17 constantly in contact with the cam 24.

The shafts 10, 22 and 23 are driven by any suitable means, so that the cam 24 and cam 19 may operate in such timed relation that the guide 14 will move, at each end of its oscillation, away from the spool as shown in dotted line position in Figures 2 and 3, the guide in each case following the path P. Thus the length of filament between the spool and spinnerette is increased at each limit of the thread guide movement.

Bygiving the cam 24' the proper form, which can be calculated from the periods and intensities of the denier variations in the yarn, it is possible to give the shaft, and thereby the guide, such movements to and from the spool as will either eliminate such denier variations or will decrease them to such an extent as to be inappreciable in the cloth made from such silk. Because of thefact that in some instances the denier variations are not entirely done away with, it is to be understood that the term eliminating as used in the appended claims does not solely mean that such denier variations are wholly eliminated, but that the term is to be understood as covering both the total elimination and the partial elimination or decreasing of the denier variations to the desired extent. I

There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient method of and apparatus for the purposes herein described. a I

It is obvious that changes may be made from the exact method described and apparatus used, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or that even no additional movement be imparted to the thread guide, but that onlythe shape of same may be made such as to attain the desired effect as described above. It is not therefore'desired to confine the invention to the exact method or apparatus herein described, but it is desired to include all methods and apparatus as properly come within the scope claimed.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. In an artificial silk machine, a spinnerette, a spool rotated to wind a filament extruded from the spinnerette, a guide through which the filament passes in its path from the spinnerette to the spool, means to cause the said guide to move longitudinally of the spool, and means to cause the guide to move in a direction to increase the length of filament between the spinnerette and spool .at each limit of the thread guide movement.

2. In an artificial silk machine, a spinnerette, a spool rotated to wind a filament extruded from the spinnerette, a guide through which the filament passes in its path from the spinnerette to the spool, said guide being positioned in laterally spaced relation to the spool to effect an angular bend in said filament, means to cause the guide to traverse the spool substantially from end to end thereof, and means to move the guide away from the spool at each limit of its traversing movement.

3. In an artificial silk machine, a spinnerette, a spool rotated to wind a filament extruded from the spinnerette, a guide through which the filament passes in its path from the spinnerette to the spool, said guide being positioned in laterally spaced relation to the spool to effect an angular bend in said filament, a rock shaft disposed at right angles to the spool, a rock arm fixed to said shaft and carrying said guide, means to oscillate the rock shaft and thereby oscillate the guide in front of said spool, and a cam operating in timed relation to said rock shaft and engaging the rock shaft to move it longitudinally, said cam acting to move the guide away from the spool at each end of each oscillation. 5

4. A process of eliminating denier variations occurring in the manufacture of artificial silk filaments according to the quick traverse method, which comprises, extruding a filament through a coagulating bath, winding the filament 190 ontoa bobbin, and increasing the free length of the filament at each limit of the transverse movement of the same by controlling the movement of a thread guide.

ADRIAN J. L. MORITZ. 

